Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $803,000 for Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC) to establish a new plumbing training facility in the Fiscal Year 2024 Agriculture and Rural Development appropriations bill. The bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.
“Job training programs offered by Kennebec Valley Community College are proven, successful tools that help young people prepare for rewarding careers,” said Senator Collins. “As Maine is seeing an increasing demand in the plumbing industry, this timely funding will support the construction of a new training facility to provide more students with the hands-on, enhanced experiences needed to enter the workforce. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to champion this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”
Located on KVCC’s Fairfield Campus, the new, state-of-the-art plumbing training facility will be equipped to handle larger class sizes and provide a pathway for high school students interested in pursuing careers in the plumbing and heating industries. The training will be offered through KVCC’s Plumbing and Energy Services program and will provide students with the trainings, certifications, and State of Maine licensing needed to advance in their careers.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.